


[Title Pending]

by Lil_Faustus



Category: No Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3416654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Faustus/pseuds/Lil_Faustus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two boys, Lucius and Faye, meet after a disaster that nobody could have predicted. They need to learn how to survive in the world now under attack by a series of viruses. Work will include language, violence, and, eventually, some new relationships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

Part 1- Faye

It started with a crash, a shriek, and being locked up in the basement. Apparently my abusive father didn't think I was good enough to run away with the rest of the family when everything went to hell, so he just left me like a sick dog, chained up in the basement. Fabulous. I couldn't even think straight out of panic because of the storm outside. People were screaming and groaning; they were in pain. There was no doubt about it.

I could see the rain and lightning from the small window at the top of the basement, as I was chained to a water pipe in the corner. People were running by my house and I was screaming. That was the only way somebody was ever going to hear me, is if I just scream my throat raw. Somebody has to hear me. They _have_  to.

Part 2- Lucius

I ran. I ran so fast when I saw our neighbor eating his kid. It was easy to run away when it was dark and raining. I carried only a duffel bag full of clothes, energy bars, and bottled water, along with my 9mm glock that I shoved into my jacket pocket. I wanted to grab a car before I went too far, but ended up staying on my feet when all the cars I found were either infested, demolished, or out of gas.

That, and I was hearing something. Other than the screaming of people being mauled, I heard someone else screaming " _Help_ ". I tried to follow the noise, wondering why this one in particular was drawing me in.

I found the source, a small window at the bottom of a middle-class house. There was a small light shining through, so I tried to pry open the window, positive there was a survivor in there. It sounded like a kid, couldn't be twenty yet. I finally got it open and slipped inside, seeing the poor scrap that was screaming for help. He was huddled in the corner, a mop of curly, black hair on top of his head and a pair of amber eyes staring back at me. He had his arms behind him, so I immediately grew distrustful of the boy, but then I saw that they were forced back there with a pair of handcuffs.

"What happened?" I asked him.

The boy shook his head, finally showing his fear. "I-I don't know what's going on. M-my family left and p-people were screaming a-an-and.." he lowered his head, and I perceived that he was crying. I frowned and walked over to him.

"Don't worry.. I'm going to get you out of here, kid." I kneeled beside him and checked out the handcuffs.

"Th-there's tools upstairs.. In the kitchen. B-b-below the sink..." The boy sniffled and watched me. I saw that he looked much too thin and gaunt. I frowned, then nodded and followed his lead to the kitchen.

Part 3- Faye

He came in out of the dark night, slipping through the window so quietly I almost didn't see him come in. I'm sure I looked scared. I was.

He looked young, not as young as me but not as old as my parents, not at all. His hair was shaggy and blonde and his eyes were dark, almost scarily so. I babbled to him, not knowing what to say to a complete stranger that broke into my house, even if I was calling for help. I told him where the tools were and he ran off, telling me that everything was going to be okay. I believed him...

I waited, letting the hot tears run down my cheeks. The noises outside grew louder, but I couldn't yell out for the man upstairs in my kitchen.. The ones outside were so close; they might hear me. 'Hurry hurry hurry' I urged him silently. 'They might find us, oh god I hope they don't find us.' The man returned quickly and I sighed loudly in relief.

"They're outside.. Hurry, sir.. I can hear them!" A look of alarm flashed across his face and he ran back over to me, working at the handcuffs with a pair of pliers. It hurt, but I didn't care. I only wanted him to hurry.

Part 4- Lucius

I worked as fast as I could, quickly getting the boy free so he could stand up and stretch. There were monsters outside, and he could hear them too. I have no idea what the hell we were hearing. It sounded like a mix of people groaning and animals attacking each other.

"Hurry up. We gotta get out of here." I told him.

"W-we have two cars. Whichever one they d-didn't take will have the keys in the kitchen and the car in th-the garage." The kid worked quick under pressure. "I'll p-pack up.." he looked up at me, his soft amber eyes looking wet. "You won't l-leave me here.. Will you?"

I shook my head. "I wouldn't leave you here to die after I just gave you a fighting chance." That seemed to reassure him, so he ran off, the cuffs still jingling on his wrists. I followed his lead and retrieved a spare set of keys from a peg in the kitchen. I ran quickly to the garage and saw a red, soccer-mom minivan sitting on the right. Perfect, we'll be leaving in style.


	2. The Getaway

Part 1- Lucius  
    The kid was in the passenger seat as soon as the garage door was up. We raced out of that city as fast we could, running over "people" and passing them by. The kid covered his eyes, and if I wasn't driving I probably would have too.  
    We got to a quieter city soon enough. It was practically out in the middle of nowhere. The storm was calming down, but the sky was clouded and dreary. I parked the minivan in front of a gas station and allowed myself to relax, laying back on the seat.  
    "Fuck... What the hell were those things.."   
    "My neighbors.." The kid slowly uncovered his eyes, staring blankly down at his suitcase.  
    I frowned, "I-I'm sorry." I felt sorry for the kid, knowing he, well.. anybody, shouldn't have to go through any of this. "Let's not think about that.. We survived. So far, that's all that matters" I sighed, wondering briefly what happened to those that I left behind. I decided to take my own advice, and moved on. "My name is Lucius. I'm ah.. 21. Graduate from the town's high school, Greenville" I glanced over at the boy, who seemed like he was trying to make an effort to control his tears.  
    "I-I'm Faye.. Faye Smith. I'm 18, a senior at Greenville.." he managed a small smile for me.  
    I politely held out my hand to him and he chuckled before lightly shaking it. "It' nice to meet you, Faye. I expect we'll be spending a lot of time together."  
    He nodded, smiling a bit. "So.. We'll need food, correct? And a place to sleep safely until this starts to blow over?"  
    I nodded. "I don't think it will blow over. The government won't help us, any scientists alive will try to help us but I don't think they will," I could tell I was sounding pessimistic, but I was trying to see this realistically. "The best thing we can do is fend for ourselves."  
    The kid, Faye, nodded. "Yes, sir.."

 

Part 2- Faye  
    I wasn't going to learn how to use a gun yet, and Lucius didn't expect me to. Instead, when we approached the gas station, he handed me a solid lead pipe for defense. I wasn't inclined at all to bash somebody's head in, but it would protect myself at least. Lucius told me to be brave and follow his lead.  
    "Grab canned food, candy, energy drinks, anything that can last for a long time." He told me. I nodded, watching his back. The man seemed reserved. He wasn't heartless at all, just better at hiding how he felt. I wished I was more like him. I was too much like my mother. "Stay close." he whispered, pointing to a figure in the darkness of the gas station.  
    I crept forward slowly, watching the figure for any sort of clue that he might be alive. I didn't dare make a noise, knowing that in every zombie movie the zombies, or "infected", could hear much better than they could see. I let Lucius push open the doors, them making a small squeaking sound that alerted the figure to our presence.  
    It jerked its head over in our direction. With what little light that was in the store, I could see his eyes. They were blank, and looked as if they had cataracts in them. He didn't look directly at us, so I assumed he was blind. Suddenly, his nostrils flared and he made a sound like a gasping fish. He sputtered and shimmied toward us, moving so strangely that he might be considered to be dancing at some crazy club.  
    Lucius backed up and I followed suit. "Give me the pipe." he ordered quickly. We traded weapons and I stumbled trying to stay out of his way. The dancing freak was still following us outside of the gas station, so I understood why he wanted the pipe instead.  
    Quickly, Lucius bashed the freak hard on the temple. He didn't go down easily, so he beat him down. Pretty soon, the thing was twitching on the ground, sputtering and bleeding profusely from his skull.  
    "H-he's still alive..." I shook, holding the gun tightly in my hands. I was afraid to drop it.  
    "He died as soon as the others got to him. We're just incapacitating him. However, he is still moving." Lucius frowned, putting his foot on the thing's neck. "I think I can just stop it from getting oxygen.."  
    The freak barely struggled, not seeming to know that it was in danger of suffocating. It did gasp for air, looking up at the sky. It grabbed at everything except Lucius' leg. Slowly, the thing went still, his eyes still wide and unseeing.  
    Lucius stepped away from him, breathing differently as he watched the thing. "D-did you see it breathing? The way it looked at us.."  
    "I don't think it could see. I-It smelled us, I think." I piped in, my voice wavering from seeing my guardian angel kill a man.  
    He nodded. "It heard us too."  The both of us seemed stunned for the moment, just watching the freak's corpse. "He wasn't smart." Lucius confirmed my thoughts.  
    "He didn't struggle wh-when you stepped on his neck.." I shook my head, wanting to erase that memory. "H-here.." I handed him the gun back, but didn't take the pipe.  
    Lucius lead me back towards the gas station. My arms and legs were shaky, and I no longer felt hungry. "J-just grab anything you can."  
    I nodded and went towards the candies and juice, checking expiration dates. I heard a can opening and saw Lucius drinking an energy drink. Smiling slightly, I followed his lead and sipped at my own favorite energy drink, trying to calm my nerves. The drink worked like magic and I sighed in relief, relishing the slight burn of the carbonation as it spilled down my throat.  
    "Here, try this." Lucius walked over to me, holding out his drink for me to sip.   
    I hesitated at first, then slowly took a sip. I instantly regretted it and spat it out. "Blech!! That tastes like sugar-hyped tea! What the hell?!" He chuckled at my reaction and just took a big gulp of the stuff.  
    "I guess it's an acquired taste, Faye." He smiled cheekily at me, looking like the little shit he probably felt he was being.  
    I huffed and continued looking for food to grab. There were several energy bars, bottles of water, cans of food, and different boxed grains and bread. We soon piled back into my mother's minivan.

 

Part 3- Lucius  
    Something changed in the boy as we drove away from the small market. He looked out the window and clutched at the energy drink we stole. I know it must have been hard for him to see that, considering my hands were still shaking from actually committing the act. However, we would have to survive somehow, even if we have to kill a few psychos along the way. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him until the both of us smiled again. Hell, I didn't even know the kid. Why do I feel like I'm responsible for him? I could have left him to die back in his house. I could have left him handcuffed to the water pipe in his basement but I saved him. I took him with me.

"Are you okay?" I hear his small voice pipe up. It was sudden so I jumped slightly in surprise.  
    "Y-yeah." I answered too quickly. "Just.. Thinking."  
    I could see him nod from the corner of my vision. "M-Mister Lucius.. Y-you killed a man.. back there."  
    I quickly shook my head. "I didn't kill him. Okay?" I slowed the van down, pulling over to the side of the street. Quickly, I turned the engine off and turned to face the boy. "Faye. We are not killing anyone. They. Are. Dead." I say each word with force, trying to convince myself as well as him. "Nobody who lives and breathes can look like those freaks." I notice my hands shaking again, and I avoid the look he gives me.  
    The kid tries to look at my eyes, I can tell. He looks like he's searching for something, but I can't tell if he's found it. After a moment of silence, he speaks up again. "Y-you're shaking."  
    I nod, balling up my hands into fists and grabbing at my jeans. "I know." As soon as those words leave my mouth, the boy moves forward and wraps his arms around my neck. I gasp softly, letting the kid hug me tightly.  
    "It's all right. You saved us.." his voice is soft and I probably wouldn't have heard him if he was back in his seat. "Thank you, Lucius."  
    I smile slightly and pat his back. "No problem, kid." I let him hug me for awhile, until my hands stop shaking. When he pulls away, I think it was all too soon and wish I had him in my arms again. "I would do it again. Not happily, of course. Begrudgingly maybe."  
    That makes him chuckle and look away. He looks like he's hiding something, maybe the expression on his face or something inside. I don't ask about it, letting him figure it out on his own. Slowly, I turn back to the wheel.  
    "Can you get out the map, kid? I want to find a small town to hide out in. Somewhere with only a few people." I manage a smile, so he gives me one back.  
    "Yes, sir. Can we get these off soon too?" He holds up his arms and makes the handcuffs jingle on his wrists. They're not connected, as I had cut them apart back in Greenville, but they do look like a nuisance.  
    "Of course. I can't have you running around and making noise that will attract every goddammed freak in town." I say it lightheartedly and chuckle, making the kid laugh back. I start the van again and drive off, hearing the kid chuckle and find a map.

Part 4- Faye  
    We took backroads everywhere, making sure to never travel through a large, or small, city. Greenville was far away by now, and we hadn't even gone through half of a tank of gasoline. Lucius was quiet the whole way, only giving me a few nods and small words. He seemed calmer now, for which I was grateful of. I felt myself smiling more, glad I was able to have the opportunity to thank him for saving my life. I studied the map for a moment more, letting the older boy know that we were coming up on a small town. He nodded to me.  
    Soon, I saw a few buildings and sat up further in my seat. "Is that Polonia?" I ask him.  
    Lucius nods, paying me only a bit of attention while he studied the streets and buildings. "Stay quiet.. I need to listen." He slows the van down and rolls down the windows, listening intently.  
    I go instantly quiet, looking out my window and keeping a sharp eye out for any movement. I hear him suck in a breath and glance over at my companion.   
    His eyes are focused on movement further away, so I move closer and try to see what he sees. He points to the front of a market and I can see something moving among the aisles. "Is it another person?" I whisper softly.  
    "Whatever it is, it's walking fairly quickly. Might be alive." he whispers back, his voice rough. "Let's find out, shall we?" he chuckles lowly and parks the van at the side of the road.


	3. New Encounter

Part 1- Lucius  
    I got out my gun again as we approached the small town's market. I told the kid to follow me so he wouldn't get lost. We snuck our way inside and I looked around, keeping a sharp eye out for any movement. The place was dim and quiet, seemingly deserted. "I had just seen someone.." I mumble under my breath.  
    Quickly, I pick up a medium-sized snow shovel and hand it to Faye. "Keep this with you and search down that way." I point towards the first sets of aisles. "I'll meet you in the middle. Shout if you see anything." The boy nods and I can already see his hands shaking. "Don't worry," I assure him, "I've got a gun and I'll shoot anything that gets close to you."  
    The boy nods again, then we slowly separate.

 

Part 2- Faye  
    I can barely see the next aisle over. The shelves are already nearly empty, as if people had panicked before the whole situation happened. I shake, gripping the shovel tightly as I wander down the hall. 'I can't imagine how hectic this place must have been when it started,' I thought to myself. 'All the people screaming and what happened to the kids.. Were they taken with the parents like my sisters? Maybe some could have been left behind..'  
    I'm jerked out my thoughts when the handcuffs around my wrists jingle suddenly. I instantly stiffen up and try to breathe quietly, afraid to make a noise. 'Lucius said to be quiet..' I sneak forward, finding different doors that anyone could have run inside 'unless anyone gets close to me, dead or alive.' Slowly, I push the butt end of my shovel against one of the doors, knowing it was meant for employees. 'Someone could have snuck in here,' I think to myself. I pause, letting the silence and darkness sink in. I shiver, feeling cold.  
    "H-hello...?" I say quietly into the darkness, wishing I had Lucius next to me. Saying even that one word got me closer and closer to screaming for help. 'W-was that a shuffling I just heard?' I open my eyes wider, trying to see into the pitch blackness. "Come out!" I yell, trying hard to be brave.  
    Suddenly, as a reward for my courage, a dark figure hurls itself at me with a snarl. I scream.

 

Part 3- Lucius  
    I worry about Faye as soon as I see him disappear behind the first aisle. I have no idea if the figure I saw was a freak or a human. So all I can do is hope that he knows how to swing a snow shovel. Quickly, I walk down the aisle I'm in and scan the shelves. It's hard to pay attention to my surroundings  when the real chaos is in my own head.  
    Faye is out there alone, and I left him. I strain my ears to hear his footsteps, wanting to be sure that he's still around. Briefly, I hear his handcuffs jingle, then silence again. When did I become so worried over him anyways. He's 18, he can handle himself. That's when I hear him scream. My heart lurches and I instantly bring out my glock, running in his direction.  
    "Faye!" I yell and run to the direction of his voice. I see the doors to an office open and the kid is flat on his back. A figure is over him, one hand on his throat the other at his wrist. I see the shovel flung away.  
    "Who the hell are you working for, shithead?!" the figure screams at Faye in a shrill voice.  
    "Get off of him!" I scream at the woman, pointing my gun at her. I can hear her growl and Faye makes a noise, confirming my worries that she's really hurting him. "I said get off!"   
    The chaos only worsens when I hear another voice coming from the front of the market. A new figure appears and, by the shadow he casts, I can see a weapon in his hands. "Willow, get off of the boy! He's not going to hurt us!" The girl seems to lessen her grip on Faye's neck, but still holds him down. The man just now seems to notice me, and points his weapon at me. "You.. put the gun down."  
    "Only when she lets go of Faye." I say it firmly, glaring at the both of them.  
    The man sighs and nods to "Willow". "Let him go, okay..?" his voice is soft, seeming worried about that animal's safety.  
    She huffs audibly and slowly stands up, letting Faye sit up and cough. He quickly scrambles over to me and I lower my gun. I can feel his hands shaking as he grips my jacket.  
    The man lowers his gun, I now see that it's a shotgun, and allows the girl to stand next to him. "Who in the world are you two?" He walks a bit closer, more into the light that the windows bring in. He's about as tall as me with messy black hair that sticks up in strange places. His eyes are dull and look grey at the angle I'm in. I can tell that his skin is darker than mine, a naturally tanned color, and he has an easily readable face. He looks curious, almost trusting since I had put away my gun as soon as I got my kid back. His partner, the animal, has unruly, frizzy, dark purple hair. Her eyes look black and her skin is pale. She bares her teeth at us, but I don't believe she's truthful in her hate.  
    "My name is Lucius." I decide to trust them. "We came from Greenville about six hours ago. The boy you just harrassed is Faye. I saved him from his parents' basement after they left him." I can feel his hands tighten on my jacket.  
    The girl straightens up a bit, frowning but not baring her teeth at us. "Greenville? It's spread that far?" she shakes her head, looking at the ground.  
    The man speaks now, "Her name is Willow. Before this all happened I kidnapped her from the streets of New Patriot." That earns him a playful punch in the arm. "My name is Ross. Also from New Patriot. I'm sorry to hear about the two of you. I assume you've seen them.. The.. Zombies or whatever the heck they are."  
    I nod, feeling myself frown and wrap a protective arm around Faye. "I ah.. Happened upon a few of them. Unfortunately had to kill one on the outskirts of Greenville."  
    Ross nods and looks around. He sighs and looks at Willow, quickly conversing with her. After a minute, he looks up again, "You two should come with us. At least until morning, and then you'll leave. I don't mean to be cruel but we prefer to travel alone. Big groups are not something good in this sort of situation."  
    I nod to him. "Thank you. I appreciate the place to stay for a bit. We have our own food to eat."  
    Ross smiles a bit and nods. "Just follow us out."


	4. Friends

Part 1- Faye

I could still feel the throb of her hand around my neck. Mister Lucius asked several times if I was okay but I just nodded and looked away each time.

I rubbed my neck, looking out the window while Lucius drove us to their home. I don't understand why he accepted their invitation. We could have just found our own shelter to sleep in without needing their help. However, I try to think as if I were him. Maybe he thought we would need allies, in case everything got so bad that we would need to form an army. I shivered at the thought, hoping that it would never come to that.

"Are you okay, Faye?" I hear his voice among the rumbling of our minivan.

I nod, looking down at my lap. "I'm fine."

He signs and I can see him frowning from the corner of my vision. "I'm sorry we had to separate back at the market. I should have stayed with you." I look over at him, feeling curious as to why he felt the need to apologize.

"It's okay. It was a good idea, I was just being reckless." I look down again, fiddling with the handcuffs. I look up in time to see the car ahead of us turn into a long driveway to a house further away from the road.

"We're here." Lucius smiles slightly and follows the car. The house ahead looks nice, standing tall with two stories and an attic. A faded brick chimney towers over on the opposite side of the front door. There's a pond in front of the house that looks murky and full of algae. It's hard to tell much about the physical appearance of the home considering how dark it was getting, but I could tell that all of the windows were boarded up.

Up ahead, I see the man, Ross, climb out of the car and go to the garage entrance. He lifts up the large door and allows his partner, and Lucius, drive the vehicles inside. Afterwards, he shuts the door.

"Now," I hear Ross speak once both cars are turned off, "We've boarded up the front door, so we need to sneak in through a window on the second floor. Don't worry, it's easy enough!" He seems positive for somebody in this sort of situation.

Lucius and I both climb out of the car and follow the two strangers towards the back of the house. I instinctively clutch my companion's jacket, not wanting to get lost in the growing darkness. The girl, Willow, grabs something from bushes, a ladder, and props it up against side of the house. Ross quickly takes her place. "Ladies first~" he says, smiling. Willow punches his arm, but I can see a smile on her face as she climbs the ladder up to the second floor.

I feel myself ushered forward, then slowly climb up the ladder towards the window. I shake, paranoid that they might turn on us and I would fall to the ground. Once the girl pulls me inside, however, I worry about Lucius. "Lucy..." I say softly and peek out the window, watching him climb up too. I hear Willow chuckle at me, then she walks off to open the room's door.

Once I'm reunited with the man, I stay close to him. Ross climbs up after us, then pulls the ladder up into the room. "We can go eat some din downstairs if that's all right with you two. The oven hasn't worked since this whole thing started, so we've been using the fireplace to cook our meals," He explains.

Lucius nods and shows that he had brought some food to feed the both of us. "We found a gas station near Greenville, so we were able to find a bit of food before we got here." He seems to trust Ross, so I try to do the same.

Ross smiles and nods, leading us the way Willow went and then down the stairs. The young girl had already started the fire and put a pot near the top of it. I look around and see that they boarded up each window and door. There are dark curtains over the windows too, as they were probably worried about any light from inside leaking to the outside.

"Is everything working all right?" Ross calls out to Willow. She glances over, then stands up and nods.

"The fire is getting nice and hot, so we better add some food soon." She smiles brightly. "So hurry up, doofus, I'm starving!"

 

Part 2- Lucius

Dinner was fairly pleasant with Ross and Willow. Ross would laugh easily and kept us entertained while Willow made sure he was accurate with his stories. I retract what I had said about the girl earlier. She was much nicer once she was assured we were to be trusted. Even Faye smiled more than he usually did.

After we were through with the food, I noticed the kid nodding of on one of the couches near the fireplace. He was having trouble getting comfortable, considering the handcuffs were probably still digging into his wrists. I frowned, wishing I could help him. Soon after, however, I saw him calm and doze off. I also noticed that the girl, Willow had sprawled herself out on the other couch and was sleeping peacefully. That left Ross and I awake on the floor.

"I have to ask.." I hear Ross quietly pipe in not too far away. "Why does the kid have handcuffs on? Was he some sort of convict when you found him? He doesn't seem like the type.."

I sigh and shake my head. "When I first found him he was handcuffed to a water pipe in his basement. I don't know for sure what happened, but he told me that his family left him. When we were leaving there was only one car in the garage too, which is why we're driving in a minivan."

Ross nods, seeming to have a sad look about him. "I don't understand who would do that to him." He shifts a bit and sits crosslegged next to me. "I was.. feeling that something bad must have happened to Willow too, something with her family," he pauses and sighs. "I've tried asking her about it, but she just brushes it off. I won't push her, because that might just drive her away from me," he sighs again, then glances at me. "I know what you're thinking, but I swear I haven't touched her. She's only 17. I know because I found her on the streets on.. on her birthday. She ran away from home." I listen to him talk, nodding and letting him go on. "That was almost a year ago, Lucius."

I smile a bit. "You like her, then?"

He nods easily and I spy a smile on his face. "Of course. She's smart, strong, and so beautiful." He looks over at her, sprawled on the couch, then chuckles and his cheeks turn red. "Beautiful." He chuckles more, which makes me laugh too. After we've calmed down, he continues on. "What about your kid, Faye? You said you found him in Greenville? I assume you were as desperate as us to get away from big cities, so what made you stop while you were in a place like Greenville?"

The question takes my off guard and I take a moment to gather my thoughts. "I ah.. I only met him this late morning," I can hear my voice waver slightly, so I clear my throat to cover it up. "I heard him screaming while I was running along the streets. Well, I mean, everyone was screaming, I just heard him overall." I pause again and look over at Ross. He seems interested, watching me with a curious expression on his face.

"So you stopped and cut him free?" Ross asks, then seems to smile. "That's a very noble thing to do, sir. We can show you a place to free him of those cuffs tomorrow. And I'm sure he's very thankful for you saving his life."

"He is. He's told me at least once every hour," this brings a smile to my face and I look back towards the fire. "I just wonder why anyone would leave him behind. He was thin when I found him too, very thin."

"By the way he was eating not too long ago, it would seem he doesn't get to eat very often," Ross observes, now showing a disapproving frown. "I hate to say this, but I think he might not have been in a good home."

I nod, frowning. "Poor kid.."

Ross perks up suddenly. "Well, you can't get rid of him now. That kid deserves a bit of kindness."

"I don't plan on letting him go off on his own." I shake my head, frowning at Ross. "I couldn't do that to him. Especially not if he doesn't know how to survive out here." I notice Ross nodding in approval.

"He has a right to decide what he wants to do." He pauses, then adds, "as does Willow. They don't need us as long as they know what to do," he says this in almost a sad way, but I nod and agree with him.

"I understand, I just don't want," I pause, then continue, "I don't want him to be alone."

Both boys go silent, then fall asleep after the fire dies out.


	5. The Police Station

Part 1- Faye

After breakfast and a bit of freshening up, Ross tells us that he knows a place where I can take off my handcuffs. We took a quick ride down the rode and he showed us an abandoned police station. I can feel myself smiling, which I can tell makes Lucius smile as well. We park beside the station and meet up with the other two by the front entrance.

"I haven't seen anyone go in or out of this place. Willow and I have been looking for an excuse to check out this place, so thanks for joining us!" Ross smiles, grabbing his shotgun and handing Willow a handgun.

Willow smiles and takes her weapon, then I see her stride towards me. "Here, kid. You need a weapon too." She pulls something out of her pocket and hands it to me.

I take it, nodding in thanks to her. She had given me a dagger that's about the length of my forearm. It's very ornate and actually has a few faded gems studded into the handle. It looks beautiful and I wonder where in the world she found this.

As if to answer my question, she tells me with a smirk on her face, "I stole it from my town's antique shop. I've had no use for it really, not until now, kid."

I chuckle a bit, holding the dagger tightly. "Thank you, ma'am.. But I'm pretty sure I'm older than you." She rolls her eyes, "Come on," she says lightheartedly and walks to the boys trying to force open the front doors to the police station.

I follow her quickly, watching Ross and Lucius pry open the doors. Willow goes between them, holding a flashlight so we can see down the hallway. Willow goes down the hallway first, weilding the flashlight and her handgun as if she were doing a room search. Ross follows her closely, holding his shotgun. Lucius follows him and I follow Lucius, clutching the dagger close to me so I can use it at any time.

Suddenly, I hear a snarl and something bashing against a wall. I see Willow jump away from the bars of a cell. She seems annoyed. "These damned officers just let these guys rot here.. This one is infected."

Ross nods. "Just stay away from the bars. There's no need to waste ammo on this monster."

I cling to Lucius' jacket, afraid to go near the cell as we walk forward. We slowly pass the bars and I see Lucius' eyes linger on the growling figure inside. I peek out and gasp softly, and I think he sees it too.

This one was different from the other freak we saw near Greenville. Its eyes were bright and bloodshot, shining an unnatrually bright blue color. There was blood staining its face and hands. This one studied us like an animal watching its prey. I shivered and hid behind Lucius.

"What's wrong?" Ross calls out and comes back to our location. "It's just a dead freak. Why are you looking at it like that?"

Lucius shook his head, and right there I could tell how fearful he was. "This isn't the thing that we've seen."

"The one outside of Greenville? Are you sure it was a freak then?" Ross asks.

"Absolutely. You've had to deal with ones like him then? We had it easy. Ours was blind and nearly braindead. Completely different."

"Lucky you." Willow pipes up, frowning. "Those guys are quick because their muscles weren't deteriorating, even though they were dead. It's like this disease or whatever was turning these things into animalistic killers." She walks back over to Ross. "I think your town was infected with something different. I don't know how possible that is though.." She shakes her head.

Ross frowns, seeming to think as he watches the infected undead in his cell. "Let's just.. Get what we came here for." He starts to lead us off again, but seems disturbed nonetheless.

I hold onto Lucius' jacket, keeping my eyes averted from the cells and clutching the dagger tightly. He reaches back and holds me close, for which I am grateful for. "Thank you, Lucy.." I say it softly, unsure of whether he'll like the little nickname I've given him.

I see him smile and he glances briefly at me, "No problem, kid."

Part 2- Lucius

The station was very kind to us. It provided us with new guns and more ammo, which Ross kindly split up with us, and some handcuff keys to free Faye.

The boy seemed happy now that those annoying rings were off of his wrists, along with the possession of a new dagger. I don't think I've seen him so smiley before.

"Thank you, sir.." Faye had said when Ross pulled off the handcuffs. He's surprisingly polite for someone who was in his... situation. I put my arm around him and pull him close.

"Are you feeling okay, kid?" I smile at him and he smile back.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" His eyes show a bit of curiosity that makes my heart flutter.

"Ah... Just.. wondering. I haven't seen you smile this much the whole time we've been.. together." I manage a smile.

Faye chuckles and presses closer to my side. "I don't think I've ever been beside people who.. who want to be around me.." He shrugs a bit, still looking at me with that heart- lurching expression. "I mean, I know we'll have to leave them soon, but it's nice to have friends."

I let out a small breath, then hugs Faye close. "We may be leaving them today, but I'm not going to let you be alone," I assure the boy. I feel him move his arms around my neck and I allow him to hold onto me.


	6. Embrace

Part 1- Lucius

It's been a week since we left Ross and Willow. He gave us his cell phone number, 'in case the towers turn back on' he said. I did keep my cell phone on me, just turned off to save its battery life. Faye and I have been travelling northeast, mostly out of curiosity to see how far this all has spread. Everywhere we've been there have been freaks. Some new, like the ones with no vision that we've already seen. Only a few times have we seen an intelligent one walking around. We've been avoiding those ones.

I've been putting off teaching Faye how to shoot a gun. I've only had him tag along whenever we went somewhere. I taught him how to climb up to higher places, because he has a smaller body frame than me he can sneak into air vents and scout out a place I can't see. I've been helping him gather some courage and not be so afraid, but I've been holding off the firearms lesson.

"Lucy!" I hear him call from the upstairs portion of the house we've been living in for two days. We stopped the minivan in Curran, Illinois, a fairly small town with only a bit of trouble. The markets were stocked, surprisingly, but it might have been because this was such a small place. I see the boy hurry down the stairs, then quickly plop down next to me. "I saw a car! A car passed by the market across the street!"

I stiffen slightly and quickly stand up, "You're joking."

He stands up too and shakes his head, "No! It was really weird too, the car had this little camera on top of it."

I frown, heading towards the front door, "Which way did it go?"

"East," he answers quickly. "I don't know why it wouldn't stop, but it's weird to see another car around."

I nod, "it is.."

Part 2- Faye

Our days have been fading together. It felt like yesterday that we left Willow and Ross, but Lucius told me it had been about two and a half weeks. I do miss their companionship, but having him around makes everything so much better. He said that he was going to teach me how to shoot a pistol today. We would have to be brief so we don't waste ammo, he told me, but I don't mind. At least I'll get to learn!

"Ready?" Lucius meets me at the front door, a small knapsack on his back.

I nod, smiling up at him. "Of course! I've been waiting for you to teach me since we met. I can't be a burden anymore."

He shakes his head at me. "You never were a burden, Faye. Don't say that, because I enjoy your company." I look up and I can see him smiling gently. The warmth about him makes my heart flutter, also making me glance down at my feet.

"Th-thank you.." I can feel my face getting hot.

He chuckles and puts an arm around my shoulders, leading me outside. We walk out a few ways into the middle of a field behind our new home.

"Just.. Out here? Are you sure the freaks won't hear us?" I frown up at Lucy, afraid to attract them to our home.

"A little bit further, Faye. The pistol I'm giving you is fitted with a suppressor so it shouldn't attract too much attention," he assures me.

I nod and continue following him. We arrive to the edge of a small forest and Lucy sets down the knapsack. He hums and gets to work setting up targets for me.

"You won't have this luxury when you need it," he starts, slowly standing up and examining the targets (squares of cardboard with circles of paint on the face). "Adrenaline will make your vision different, and it may be hard to grip your gun when you can't focus. So it's better to learn how to focus before you find out what it's like to panic." He glances back at me, returning to my side and picking up the knapsack. He digs inside and fishes out the small pistol, letting it drop into my hands.

I feel my hands shaking, so I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. I hold onto the grip tightly, avoiding putting my finger on the trigger. Lucius nods and helps me get my handling right.

"There, just like that. Now, I need you to raise the gun and point it at the target." He moves behind me and hovers by my shoulder.

I nod and do what he says, but I can see my hands shaking.

He chuckles lowly and moves his hands to my wrists. "Calm down, Faye. You're doing okay so far. Keep your elbows straight, wrists strong, and be prepared for any recoil. This one gun won't have much recoil, considering it's small, but it's better to be prepared. When you aim, line up the center of the target with the site on top of the pistol."

I nod, listening to his advice and trying to calm my rapidly beating heart at the same time. Slowly, I pressed back against Lucius, taking comfort in his presence but also seeming to get goosebumps whenever he spoke to me. His arms held mine steady, and I was able to close one eye and aim at the target.

"When you're ready to fire, take in a breath and hold it. It will help your hands go steady," I can hear him smiling from the tone of his voice.

Soon, his hands pull away, but I feel myself longing for his touch again. I take a deep breath and try to focus on shooting the target. I line up the center with the site of my pistol, take in a breath, hold it, then squeeze the trigger. The gun jumps back slightly and takes me by surprise. I squeak and stumble back, but I soon feel Lucius' hands keep me steady.

"There there.." I hear him chuckle, which makes my face go hot. "That went well, I think. You hit the third ring!"

"R-really? Did I?" I stagger back to a straight position. "C-can I try again?"

"Of course! I had put four bullets into your clip so feel free to use the rest." He smiles, watching me in that warm way again.

I quickly aim the pistol at the target, more confident now that I know the recoil of my weapon. I go back into the motions and aim at the center. I relax my shoulders, straighten my elbows, close one eye, then hold my breath. I fire the gun and barely move now because of the recoil. "Ah! Did I do it?! Did I get close?" I quickly look back at Lucy.

He smiles brightly and inspects the target. "Second ring!"

I jump and quickly wrap my arms around his neck. "I did it! I got closer!"

He chuckles and wraps his arms around my waist. "Careful kid, remember the gun. But I'm very proud of you."

That makes me smile more and I tighten my grip on him, careful to keep my fingers away from the trigger. I can finally protect him, with some accuracy, now. I don't need to stand behind him and watch him get rid of all the monsters. "Thank you, Lucy. This means so much to me, you have no idea."

I hear him chuckle a bit and feel him tighten his hold on my waist. "This doesn't mean I'm going to stop protecting you now."

"I know," I assure him, "But at least I can properly protect _you_  now."

He goes a bit quiet now, but doesn't let me go.

Part 3- Lucius

When we've decided to come back home, the sun had started setting. We took a page out of Willow's book and propped a ladder outside of our home leading to the second floor's window. I help Faye up, then follow him and pull the ladder inside. We meet downstairs and I start cooking dinner for the both of us while he figures out to load and unload his gun. After we're both full and comfortable, it's time for lights out while we wait for the fire to die down.

Since the living room has our only source of heat, I've been pulling out the bed inside of the couch for the both of us to sleep on. Faye had his own set of pillows and blankets and I had mine, so it was basically like we were sleeping on two beds.

Once we've settled down, I hear Faye shift a few times beside me. I have my back to him, but I assume he's having another bad night. Slowly, I turn over to face the boy.

"Are you okay..?" I've asked him about it several times before, but I always get him saying he's "fine" and "nothing's wrong".

"I.. I can't get to sleep," it seems like tonight might be different.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask him in a gentle voice.

He goes quiet for a moment, then slowly turns over to face me. "I have nightmares, Lucy." I nod when I hear this, having suspected as much. "Is... is it ah.. okay if maybe I.." He stutters nervously and I see his cheeks go red in the dim light.

I smile a bit, charmed by how nervous he seems to be acting. "Do you want to be close to someone, Faye..?" I ask this quietly, not so sure whether it's what he was going to ask or not.

"Y-yeah.." He looks up at me with sad eyes, making my heart ache.

"Come here." I say gently and pull back our covers. Slowly, I watch him crawl closer to me, then settle quite close to me. Lightly, I pull his hips closer to mine and I feel his hands clutch at my chest in surprise. "There.. Is this better?"

He nods, trembling but smiling. I can tell that his cheeks are bright red, but who am I to talk. His slender hands make my heart flutter and the feel of his breath on my neck gives me goosebumps. "Th-thank you, Lucy." his voice is delicate and it makes me want to hold him closer.

"Go to sleep, Faye. I'll keep you safe," I assure him.

He nods, lowering his head and nestling against me. I smile shamelessly, watching him until he falls asleep. I slowly run my hand along his hair, holding him and comforting him while he sleeps until I eventually doze off.


End file.
